RN Podar (SC) cried foul after being denied a goal against ANZA (Byculla) in the semi-final of the U-16 Div IV Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school football tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday.
ANZA defeated RN Podar 1-0.u00a0Yusuf Qureshi netted the lone goal for the Byculla outfit in the 15th minute. The Byculla team dominated the proceedings all through. In the second half, RN Podar’s Shivam Singh charged and kicked the ball that was already collected by ANZA goalkeeper Yakib Khan.
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Shivam Singh of RN Podar tries to shoot even as ANZA goalkeeper Yakib Khan (left) collects the ball at Azad Maidan yesterday. Pic/ Suresh KK
Podar coach, Maxy D’Souza said that they lost the match because of poor refereeing. Angered by the referee’s decision, D’Souza ordered the boys to leave the field with 10 minutes of play still remaining. It was only after MSSA president Jude Rodrigues intervened, play resumed.
Podar’s coach, D’Souza was livid. “This is totally unfair on MSSA’s part. MSSA is openly cheating by changing decisions. The referee did not give two clear hand-ball decisions. We lost a match that we could have won easily,” said D’Souza.
A referee, on condition of anonymity, blamed MSSA. “As per rules, a Div IV match has only one referee. MSSA had three referees during the quarter-finals, so why not follow the same for the semis? What can we do if MSSA do not inform us what match they are organising and how many referees they need?” he asked.
Meanwhile, ANZA coach Ansari Sajid Sabir said: “We played a fair game. When they were winning, they never complained. But now that they lost to a better side they are blaming
the referee.”u00a0
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